Other News

US-based Heliae, a developer of advanced algae production technologies, commenced operations at its first commercial facility in Arizona late last year. Using its Volaris-brand platform, the commercial facility will initially operate at 33% of its capacity to produce high-value algae products for nutraceutical and personal care products but biofuels represents another business avenue for…
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Joil, a scientific bioenergy crop developer focused on a new generation of jatropha, has achieved an average seed yield of 3.53 tonnes per hectare in the third year of its large-scale field trials in India.The company claims the yield will be 4.42 tonnes per hectare unpruned. These results place Joil’s jatropha varieties on track to deliver a projected  yield of more than 4.5 tonnes…
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Seven universities in the US are to share a multi-million federal research grant to develop non-food feedstocks for biofuels. The educational bodies, based in Florida, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Georgia, Indiana and North Carolina, will split a reported $8 million (€5.8 million) to conduct research on improving biofuel-related aspects coming from trees and grasses. The grants come from the…
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UK-based Gazasia is to develop an anaerobic digestion plant in the Philippines with local business Aseagas to provide clean, renewable transport fuel. The project will create the first biomethane plant in the country, which will produce biogas from organic waste. This, in turn, will be processed to generate liquid biomethane to be used as fuel. The initial $47 million (€34.3 million) project…
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US-based petroleum-related business Ergon has acquired, through its Ergon Ethanol subsidiary, Bunge North America's interest in a previously joint-owned biofuels facility in Mississippi. The move means Ergon Ethanol now owns 100% of the Bunge-Ergon Vicksburg plant and, as of 31 December 2013, it was renamed Ergon BioFuels. Financial terms were not disclosed but the move ends a six year…
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It has been reported China New Energy is to enter a reverse takeover of BAPP Ethanol Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sino Distillery Group. The restructure will mean BAPP will have an indirect 75% interest in Harbin China Distillery, which owns and operates a 60,000 tonne a year biorefinery in north-east China. The deal is subject to further due diligence and negotiation between CNE and…
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Firefighting crews were called out in early January to deal with a leaky 30,000 gallon tanker containing ethanol in Arizona, US. Employees of Union Pacific Railroad noticed the leak at a train yard in Phoenix and, upon arrival, firefighters estimated the tanker had been releasing ethanol at a rate of 100 gallons an hour. The remaining product was offloaded over several hours and final estimates…
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Renewable Energy Group (REG) has entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire all assets of biodiesel producer Syntroleum. Syntroleum is based in Oklahoma, has produced Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquids and renewable diesel fuel technologies and has 101 patents issued or pending. It also owns a 50% interest in Dynamic Fuels, a 75 million gallon renewable diesel production facility based in…
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CropEnergies, a bioethanol producer based in Germany, has posted increased revenues to €572.8 million for the first nine months of 2013. That figure is €63.1 million up on the same time period in 2012, while a decline of operating profits from €70.2 million to a current €37.2 million ‘corresponds with expectations’. The company puts the increase in revenues to high…
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Two US-based companies are to collaborate and supply customised industrial sugars for the production of cellulosic ethanol. Cellulosic sugar producer Sweetwater Energy  and Pacific Ethanol, a marketer and producer of low carbon renewable fuels, will construct a cellulosic biorefinery at the Pacific Ethanol Stockton facility capable of producing up to 3.6 million gallons, contingent upon…
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It has been reported the amount of ethanol produced from cassava in Thailand will nearly double to 3 million tonnes in 2014. The Ministry of Commerce will allocate 10 billion baht (€224.5 million) to manage a cassava income plan for next season. ‘If the new government chooses not to implement the income guarantee plan next year, ethanol producers could still purchase fresh cassava root…
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Argentina has hit back over the imposed ‘anti-dumping’ duties by the European Union by filing a complaint to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The country’s foreign ministry is claiming the duties on biofuels imports, currently set around an additional 25%, are ‘purely protectionist’ and will harm its biodiesel industry. The WTO has 60 days to try and find a…
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US-based Greenleaf Biofuels produced its one millionth gallon of biodiesel at the end of October this year. The milestone came since commercial production at its New Haven Terminal location in Connecticut began in the summer. The fuel will primarily be blended into the region’s heating oil supply enabling consumers to heat their homes and businesses with a product which has been shown…
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